Game apparatus.



J. E. TILDEN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29| I908- RENEWED AUG. 12, 1914.

.1 14 1 505. Patented J 11116 1, 1915.

I FIG.1 K L IMINEIISP YI I I q I G v F162. I

F y 6 GENERAL T F: I I L1 FIG-"4 F165 QuMV UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

JOSEPHINE E. TILDEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MISNESQTA; 45516-1193, OF ONE-HALF T BERTHA L. MoMILLAN, or MINNEAPOLIS, mmimso'raf GAME Arrm'rus".

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application and A ril 29, 1.608,- seriatiio. amt. iten wea them 151914. semi a... 856,498.

To all whom it may concern: Beit known that I, J ostrnim: E. TILDEN, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide 7 a new game board with movable men or pieces which are to be used in a game entitled Togo or The, Game of Strategy The game is one of skill, primarily, though it is 1sosimple that it -may be easily learned The invention consists generally in a gameboard substantially as described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figi'lre 1 is a plan view of a gameboardembodying my intention. 2 is an edge View of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of one of the movable pieces or men. Fig. 4' is a rear view, and, Fig. 5 is a side view of the same. v

The board may be of wood with inlaid strips to indicate the lines or it may be of pasteb'oardor any other suitable material. The movable pieces or men may be" made of wood of two diflerent colors or of celluloid or any other material. Half of the men must be of one color and the other half of another color, black and white, or black and red, or any color decided uponhereafter. If the men are made of wood a wood must be used which will have no visible grain, since it is important that the men should all look exactly alike from the opponents side, of the board.

' The board is divided into two fields; Each field may be regarded as a hill with a fortress on the top and two watch towers at the base, Each field 'is divided into spaces by a series of parallel horizontal straight lines and a series of converging straight lines, There are live horizontal lines and seven converging lines in each field. The two fields are connected by three; parallel lines,

I and it is on these lines alone that the men ma lie-moved across into the dppofients field, At the back and center of each field is an irregular pace called the fort/regs marked D. This is the space whiehmast be occupied by an pp'o'nents man girder ta win the game. In front of each field and to Patented'dune 1, 1915. I

the extreme right and left is a rectangular space called the watch tower marked E. This is a place of safety, for no man can be taken whi 0 he is occupying this space.

The drawing (Fig. 1) shows the board and a few of the men in board. The men are to be p aced on the intersections of the lines A and B, and in the spaces called the fortress. and watch towers.

The movable ieces or men are seventy in number, thirtyve for each player. These men may be placed on the board in any position the player desires, according to his plan of campaign. The man is awedge-shaped block F, with an upright rectangular piece G at the back onwhich the name of the man is printed, (see Fig. 2). It is to .be understood that the rightis to be reserved to make any modification in the shape of this man if so desired. The names of the men, indicat- General One Lieutenanbgeneral One lldajoit-generals Two iig'adier-generals Three Colonels Three Majors Three Captains -Thr'ee First lieutenants- ..s Three Second lieutenants--- ;Three Privates Three SP5, --.-----0.

Engineers Four. anner L OI 1e Mines Four The men maybe moved along the lines, A, B- bud G, n any direction, forward, back osition on the ward, or to either side, one space at a time,

with the exception of the engineers, which field only on the lines marked C on the draw-- ing. One man takes another (providing it is of lower rank) by moving against it and occupying the space on the board left by the man removed. A man of higher rank takes one of lower rank. When two men of equal rank are moved against each other, both are removed from the board.-

The game is played by two people acting as opponents and moving the men. An umpire decides which man is to be removed from the board when the players attach each other. The players move alternately. The

umpire sits at one end of the board in a position to see readily the names of the men on both sides. The game is won when a man is moved into the fortress of the opponent and cannot be taken by the next move of the opponent. The game is a tie when either player is put in a position where he cannot move any man under the rules.

The rules governing the moves of each man are in general as follows:

1. The general can take every man except the spy and the mines.

2. The lieutenant-general is next in rank and can take every man except the general and mines.

3. The other men rank in the order given: major-general, brigadier-general, colonel,

. major, captain, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, and private, and each man can take those of lower rank'. None of them can take a mine.

4. The engineers are the only men which can take the mines. The engineers may move one space at a time, or they may move any distance in any direction along an unobstructed line.

5. The spy is the only movable man that can take the general. The spy can be taken by any 'man on the board except the general and the engineers.

6. The banner is stationary. It cannot be moved at any time during the game and has no rank of its own. It has merely the value of the man behind. it in the line of attack.

The banner must be placed on the board so Y that it isin front of some other man. When major on one side and amine on the other,-

the banner has the rank of any one of these 7. The mines are stationary, and cannot be moved at any time in the game. Mines can'- not be set on the front line of the field. If the fortress contains a movable piece, it should not be surrounded by mines, preventing that piece from moving. The mines destroy any man moved against them except an engineer. If two or more mines are in line with each other, all are destroyed by an attack of an engineer in thatdirection.

.8. Only movable men should be placed in the watch tower. No man can be taken while in the watch tower. J

Each player places his own men in posi tion on his side of-the board, keeping the rank of the men concealed from the opponent. The opponent is, therefore, unable to tell the rank or the arrangement of the riety in the game and the interest of the players is constantly stimulated. It is a simple game and easily learned, but interesting and fascinating to an unusual degree. As one continues to play the game it is realized that much skill and ingenuity may be exercised in the arrangement of the men and in the moves. The rank of an attacking man may be inferred by observing the men which are taken by it. After the lieutenantgeneral is taken, it is not diflicult to decide that the opponents general is the man that attacked. Then is the time to bring the spy to the front. Here, however, is a problem, for unless care is taken to deceive the enemy, the spy may be easily destroyed, since, ex-

cept theengineers, it is the weakest man on I the board. The general, .too, may be lost among the other men in the confusion of the moves, since the men all look alike from the opponents side. The fact that the rank of the men is not known to the opponent makes it possible to bluff with them. For example: A movable man may be left unmoved for a long enough time to convince the opponent that it is one of the mines and he may waste an engineer in attacking it. Again, a

weaker 'man may start in pursuit of a stronger in such a confident way that the opposing player will withdraw .it into more secure position.-- It is well, in the case of an engineer (since an engineer is destroyed by any piece on the board except a mine), to move it one space at a time until a mine'is located. Then, if there is an unobstructed line, the engineer may cover the whole distance at onemove and destroy the mine.

The game is one of'skill and men of ma-: ture years, as well as boys and girls, become fascinated with .it. The umpire finds it as interesting as the players for he alone is able to watch both sides and follow the campaign.

Private I claim as my invention:

1. A game'apparatus comprising a board tle, each field having a series of horizontal lines and a series of converging lines and parallel lines extending across the spaces between the fields, each field having anirregular space at the rear thereof designated for a fortress and in the front on the left and right of each field a rectangular space designated for watch towers, and movable pieces representing ofiicers, privates and individuals connected with an army corps, said pieces having names on their rear faces indicating the character or individual represented by each piece.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a board havinga surface representing fields of battle, each field having a series of horizontal lines and a series of converging lines, and parallel lines extending across the spaces between the fields, each field having a space on the left and right designated for observers, an'dmovable pieces re resenting officers, privates and individua s connected with an army corps, said pieces having names on their rear faces indicating the character or individual represented by each piece.

3. A game apparatus, comprisin a board havin a surface representing fiel s of battle an movable pieces representing ofiicers,

The following will serve to show two of the many gossible arrangements of the men on the fiel Gen. 1st Lt. Sec. Lt.

privates and individuals connected with an army corps, said ieces having names on their rear faces in icating the character or individual represented by each piece, the names on the pieces representing the characters of both sides being visible to the umpire pieces, the names of the pleces representing the characters of both sides being invisible to the opposing player.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto. set

my hand this 14th day of April 1908.

JOSEPHINE E. v'IILDEN.

Witnesses:

J. H. BALnwm, C. G. HANSON. 

